From Necessity to Love
by Lady Fael
Summary: Queen Dove is 18 and decides the Copper Isles need a King. Youngest son of the Emperor of the Yamani Islands, Aikido will provide a King and peace between the Islands. But what if the two strangers just can't love each other? [Finished]
1. Enormous Decisions

Chapter 1

Dove rapped on Aly's door with her knuckles once, and then opened it to let herself in. They knew each other well enough to intrude on one another's privacy. Aly was, of course, seated at her desk and transferring reports from slate to one of her numerous thick notebooks. She looked up when Dove entered and grinned at the Queen, but her smile dropped quickly; something was wrong. Aly abandoned the reports and walked over to the younger girl, motioning for her to sit next to her on the bed. Dove sighed, rubbing her temples, and collapsed next to her friend. When she had entered the room her posture had been stiff, her features uncertain and confused, but as she sat down she seemed to collapse entirely and her features changed from confused to open. She would tell Aly everything.

"I was thinking…Aly, I have to marry soon. I'm eighteen years old and have been Queen for three years. The people love me, but still, I hear them mutter that they need a King. And they're right. If I wait to marry until I fall in love, then I'll be an old maid by the time they have a King. Besides, if I marry out of love, who says my chosen will be a good King or will benefit the Isles? I need to marry someone out of duty. I learned recently that the Emperor of the Yamani Islands' youngest son is looking for a wife, and it would be a wonderful opportunity to make peace with the Yamanis. Besides, he's not that much older; only by five years, which makes him twenty-three. I would do it, and I'm pretty sure the Emperor would accept." Dove, done spilling her heart out, looked at Aly expectantly.

Alianne was rather shocked, to tell the truth. She pondered a moment then replied, slowly, "You're still young, Dove, and marriage is very…very final. Are you sure you want to bind yourself eternally to a man you've never even met just for the good of the Copper Isles?" Aly inquired, gently. She herself had been lucky enough to marry someone she loved three years back. They now had a two year old daughter named Junai who only made their connection deeper. And Aly was pregnant once again.

Dove bit her lip. "'_Just _for the good of the Copper Isles'?" she asked, at last. "Aly, you alone should understand how devoted I am to my Isles." Yes, she did.

"But devoted enough to marry a complete stranger?" Aly asked, gently once again.

Dove considered, biting her lip again as she was prone to do when she was thinking hard. "I think so," she answered, carefully. "I think I would. I think I would take my chances. Risk it."

_Well then I admired you and your devotion, _Aly decided, honestly. Out loud she answered, "Bind yourself eternally to a stranger? Are you sure?"

More sure of her self this time, but still hesitant, Dove answered once again, "Yes. I am sure." And then her features twisted from indecision to finality. "Yes, I'm sure," she repeated, rising to her feet with a confident air. "And I'm going to write to the Emperor right now, with my proposal," she announced, reaching the door and pulling it open to step into the hallway. "Thank you, Aly, for helping me decide!" she called back over her shoulder just as the door closed behind her. Aly was left sitting on her bed, shaking her head in amazement, melancholy.

"I'm not sure she just made the right choice," Aly reflected thoughtfully to her darking necklace, Trick. "But I hope it ends up alright in the end."

-----

Aly was playing on the floor with her two year old girl, Junai, building blocks and creating a tower, when Dove entered the room, waving a letter in her hand, face flushed. "I've done it!" she announced, triumphantly, putting her hands on her hips. "I sent the letter last week and the Emperor answered me. He said yes, he wants to accept my offer of marriage to his youngest son, Aikido, and he also accepts the offer of peace."

"Sho!" Junai cried out in anger as the tower toppled. She scowled at Dove as Aly laughed.

"It's not her fault, Ju," Aly told her little girl, picking the sulking Junai up in her arms and then dumping her on her lap. "And anyway, this is more important than our tower. We can always rebuild that." Junai seemed to understand, as she nodded solemnly and then crawled out of Aly's lap to start again with the blocks. Red on green, then blue on yellow, next purple on white, and lastly orange on brown. She was very organized. Aly noticed Dove gazing wistfully down at Junai and realized she badly wanted a child of her own.

Tearing her eyes away from the little girl and waving the letter around once again, Dove went on. "So anyway, it's final. Aikido will arrive in a month, he will stay a month, and we both have a day to decide against it if we so wish while he is here. If not, then we marry the first of June and he's the new King of the Copper Isles." Dove was putting on a mask of triumph and finality as well as confidence, but Aly could see even she was perplexed by the enormity of what she had done.

"Well, you have that day, at least, if you discover he's a lump," Aly told her cheerily, smiling. Dove laughed out loud and sat beside her, cross-legged like a Yamani, and helped Junai build her little tower. Aly watched her the whole time and was proud of the decision, yet anxious for her Queen. What would become of all this?


	2. Arrivals and a Good Start

Chapter 2

The month of April was a flurry of activity for all the residents of the palace. The same day that Dove had told Aly her news, she had called a public gathering and announced what she had previously been keeping secret to everyone who desired to hear; she was getting married. Winnamine and Nuritin – as well as Sarai, who had been written to, as she was in Carthak – were vexed that she hadn't told them before, as she had with Aly. But their anger was drowned in the excitement of everything. Sarai had been planning to come the second she finished reading the letter, and by the third of May she was there, helping with the preparations just like everyone else. Her husband Zaimid and their two children, Mequen and Alanna, would arrive the day of the scheduled marriage.

The Guest Suite had to be prepared for Aikido and his attendants, which were said to be only two. The Guest Suite was thoroughly dusted, scrubbed, organized, and rearranged time and time again by different people. The bed Aikido would sleep in upon his arrival was made and remade countless times by people who imagined his tastes differently in their minds. Sarai made the Suite even grander by adding decorations, like flowers, scents, and cloths draped over the 'dreary boards on the ceiling', as she referred to them. The walls were freshly coated with new paint, a calm and serene greenish-blue, and patterns of lotus flowers and wild animals done over them in a very faint white. By the time everyone was satisfied with the Guest Suite, any outsider would have thought they were preparing for the arrival of the Yamani Emperor himself.

The armory was newly stocked with the Glaives and long staffs that Yamanis preferred. The library was supplied with books on the Yamani culture and the art of fighting, both so they seemed interested, and so that Dove could catch up on her reading about the Yamanis to know more about her future-husband. The cooks were given fresh new Yamani recipes they were to use starting now, so everyone could get used to Yamani cooking, and to prepare the feasts that would be eaten every night that led up to the wedding in honor of the groom. The whole palace was decorated with Yamani-like decorations, provided by Sarai, as a courtesy to the coming guests. Countless Kimonos were made for Dove and her attendants – and more importantly Aly, who was going to return the favor and be Dove's Female Companion at the wedding – to wear during the wedding, as well as during the evenings' feasts that would take place during the time when they were not yet married.

Dove complained as she was pushed and pulled from one dress-fitter to another, and countless elaborate gowns were made for the occasion, and for the time in between and right after. Puncturing her schedule were trips to the dress-fitters, which were bothers as she had to stand for hours on end, having needles jabbed into her accidentally. But when the gowns were finished, the effect was splendid. They ranged from modest gowns of one color and very simple make to elaborate gowns of up to ten different colors, all with different style sleeves and skirts and elaborate patterns sewed into them. Even Dove was speechless when she first saw them, though when she realized she actually had to _wear _these monstrosities, she panicked. Only a few of them were a simple creamy orange.

Aly and the rest of the people close to Dove who would be participating the most in the ceremonies were also fitted for gowns and suits, though not nearly as much as Dove, and the gowns were not nearly as elaborate or varied. Aly was brisk and curt enough to only have three gowns made. One was a blue-green kimono with patterns of crows sewed into it, another was an emerald-green gown with bell sleeves and a tight upper part, and the last a flowing hazel dress with sleeves that were tight then belled out, and a top that was just as tight then flowed out into a wide skirt. It had matching slippers and headdress, and was the gown she would wear to the wedding as Dove's Female Companion. It wasn't especially comfortable, but she had to put up with it.

And so they were ready for the prince's arrival. It was the thirtieth of April and Aikido would be arriving by boat, accompanied by two Yamani attendants, the next day. Of course, two Copper Isle servants had been chosen to be attendants as well as the Yamanis, but it was understandable that the prince would be closer and rely more on his Yamani attendants, as they had been chosen because they were his closer friends. But the Copper Isle attendants had been chosen by Aly and were – unknown by Dove or anyone else – part of her spy pack. This was purposeful, a way to find out more about Prince Aikido.

Dove and an escort including Taybur, Winna, Nuritin, Sarai, Aly and Nawat stood on the edge of the deck on the first of May, silently awaiting the arrival of the expected sailing ship from the Yamani Islands. Behind them stood an equally quiet crowd made up from Copper Islanders ranging from the richest Nobles to the poorest commoners, all wanting to have a glimpse of the man who would most likely be their King. When the boat was first sighted, it was clearly Yamani because of the elaborate markings on the sails and the wood of the boat. As was Yamani custom, Aikido and the two attendants were below deck, and so the disappointed crowd behind Dove and her escort sighed and shuffled away slowly until only a few hopefuls were left. The ship pulled into the harbor and was admired by all as the most beautiful they had ever seen. Taybur walked forward to be the first to greet the prince, and to inspect the ship for any signs that this was not the ship it was supposed to be. It was, as was clear when Aikido stepped down from the prow.

The youngest Yamani prince was regal. He wore a pale gold kimono that suited him very well. His hair was dark, as was the hair of all Yamanis, and was pulled back into a short ponytail by an elaborate golden pin. His eyes seemed to be gold, though upon closer inspection they were really a unique brown, and his nose was the perfect length, very Kingly. He was tall, but not monstrous, and his expression betrayed nothing, as Yamanis were trained. But all in all, he looked promising. He smiled politely at Taybur and took the offered arm to help him down onto the deck. Dove stepped forward in one of the numerous elaborate gowns. This one was her preferred pale orange, the skirts not wide but natural, the top tight and patterned with doves. She wore her full crown of the Copper Isles, and it jingled pleasantly as she walked forward to greet the Prince.

She curtsied low to him as he bowed to her, Yamani style, and when they both straightened she dazzled him with one of her most promising smiles. For a moment his hard Yamani mask was cracked and he looked at her with something that could be described as lust, but it was gone as fast as it had come. She curtsied once more then offered him her arm, which he clasped, and they advanced toward the palace together. "I am pleased to make your acquaintance," Aikido told the Queen solemnly yet honestly, and she answered likewise. Taybur was in front of them the whole time, Aly, Nawat, Nuritin, Sarai and Winnamine right behind, but far enough to grant them some privacy. Aikido's attendants walked with them. The two – Dove and the Prince – made meaningless small-talk.

When they reached the palace, there was a feast dished out in the decorated Ballroom. Dove and Aikido sat at the head of the table, then Nuritin and Winnamine across from each other, Sarai across from Taybur, Aly across from Nawat, and the four attendants at the end of the table, the head of the table on the other end left respectfully empty as a signal that that was where Mequen and the Emperor would have sat, had they been living or present. Dove and Aikido continued their small talk for a while, but by the time the Yamani and Copper Isles dishes had been served, mingled, they were conversing in earnest and seemed to enjoy each other's company. Aly had high hopes.


	3. Musings in Bed

Chapter 3

Aikido made his way into the Guest Suite that had been prepared for him and his two Yamani attendants. It was the end of the first day, and they only had until tomorrow night to decide they wanted to call the marriage off. He decided he rather liked Dove, but it was more as a friend. He didn't, certainly, love her. _Maybe I will learn to love her, _he thought, hopefully. _Maybe I will even learn to love her by tomorrow night! _But that was just ridiculous. He sighed. Their marriage would be very awkward if they stayed touchy friends.

Aikido shook his head violently to rid himself of those disturbing thoughts. Dove really was lovely, and she was smart, and she had obviously gone to pains to prepare for his arrival. And she was a fine Queen. But she had proposed this marriage so there would be peace between Yamanis and Copper Islanders, and had given no sign so far that she loved him. She had probably already fixed it in her head that their marriage would be a dutiful affair, and she wouldn't even try to fall in love with him. Aikido considered doing the same thing, then decided against it; he would take pains to see all the good in the girl who was going to be his wife, and he would try to fall in love with her, regardless if she did the same thing or not. It would be so much easier for their marriage.

He entered the last room of the suite, his bedroom, where he was to sleep. He admired the care that had gone into the preparations and the sheets on his bed, then removed the Kimono he was wearing for a simpler one to wear at night. He took out a book that Dove had recommended in a friendly manner, and, sitting in the bed with the candles flickering, started to read. He had meant to read only the first chapter or the introduction then go to sleep, but it was very engrossing, and he found himself in the middle when he finally realized it was late and stopped his reading. It had been a good recommendation. He turned the book around to look at who the author was and smiled when he saw it had been written by the famous Jonathan of Conte, the King of Tortall. It seemed that Dove's best friend and Spymaster came from a line of Tortallian Nobles close to the King.

The youngest Prince of the Yamani Islands blew out the candles and pushed the pillows down so he could go to sleep. But he found that sleep evaded him like a fox, and his thoughts tried to take over. Finally, he gave in and let the memories resurface. They were the memories he had of what had happened when Dove's letter arrived.

_I was not a crown prince. Not even close. My father never told this to anyone, and not even directly to me, whom it concerned, but I happened to overhear it as he was speaking to his most trusted advisor, his sister. "I have never admitted this to anyone," he had begun in a hushed whisper, as his sister listened attentively, and so did I, from outside the door. "But Aikido is not my Yamani Queen's child. She does not know this. She was unconscious during the birth of her last child, Quan, who was conveniently born at the same time as Aikido, but not to her. He was born to one of my _maids,_" father had explained, shamed. "But he was my son. The maid, who was the only one to know, was beheaded, of course. And I told my wife she had had twins. Aikido and Quan look alike enough for that to seem true." I had been shocked, and soon realized that meant I was not even as privileged as a younger son. I was a half brother._

_Quan was married when he was eighteen, but I stayed unmarried. No one but father, his sister, and myself knew why. I was reading and studying in my room when the Queen of the Copper Isles' letter arrived. Father read it, talked about it with his sister, then approached me. "Aikido," he had boomed, in that voice of his. "You are to be married and you will be a King. Now come, you are to be fitted for a suitable wedding Kimono." And that was it. I had to find out in stealth who had made the offer, for he didn't even tell me that. I could see that father did not want _me _to be the one who would become a King while the rest of his sons, the Crown Prince excluded, were only Nobles. But he would be a fool to not accept, even if it was offered to me, of all people. It would provide an alliance with the Copper Isles, and it would get me out of his sight. "Why hadn't the offer come sooner?" I could almost hear his thoughts. It was no secret that I was his least favorite son, but it was a secret why._

_And so I was put on the ship and sent off to be married to a complete stranger without even being asked my opinion on the delicate matter. But my opinion wouldn't have mattered a Gold Noble to my father anyway. He was grumpy and irritable the whole time we were preparing, and so I left him well alone and didn't ask any questions or make any trouble. But to myself I worried. What if my future bride was horrible? What if I was simply not _meant _to be a King? And even though I was hated by my father while there, I would have preferred to stay in the Yamani Islands and my palace, where I had the vast library and the varied books to choose from._

Finally, Aikido fell asleep, dreaming of weddings in which the bride was a Giantess or an Ogress.

-----

Dove entered her chambers and shed her dress gratefully. Pembery took her hair out of its many braids and laid her crown on the cushion. "Goddess bless you, Pembery," Dove congratulated her wearily as her maid folded the dress that had been carelessly thrown to the side and put it into the closet. Pembery grinned, bowed, then left Dove her privacy, going to sleep in the smaller chamber provided for her. Dove collapsed onto the bed, too exhausted to read, blew out the candles, adjusted the pillows, and tried to fall asleep.

But, just as was the case with Aikido, sleep did not come. Instead her musings and her thoughts pushed and clamored to be first in her mind. She groaned out loud and then gave in, letting her thoughts take over. She listened to them carefully, hoping that maybe they would go away if she did and then, finally, she could drift off peacefully into Gainel's – the dream god's – realm. But they refused to go away, and they were very loud.

First, her thoughts on Aikido. She liked his regal appearance, and he was quite handsome. He carried himself confidently, which she also applauded. But she made the biggest fanfare for his knowledge. He was well learned and well read, apparently loving books as much as she did. He said that the library in the Yamani palace had been vast and pleasing, and he had enjoyed the time spent there. He claimed to have studied mathematics, grammar, spelling, the art of writing, and science all thoroughly. He said he loved chess and they had gaily planned a game the next day. She admired his ability to control his emotions and keep them behind a mask, which she did as well but not as effectively as he did.

All in all, she decided he was a wonderful person and a good friend to have. But friend was different from husband, and even more different from love. Dove sighed as sleep crept in, and all she could think was, _it will be hard for us if we can't learn to love each other._


	4. A Bonding Incident

Chapter 4

Light shone on his serene face, not even expressing anything in sleep. It looked like the Prince hadn't moved since he had first dozed off, as he was lying very stiffly on his back, facing the newly painted ceiling. Seiko, his male Yamani attendant, walked into his room to open the very Yamani-fashioned curtains and let in some light in the hopes of waking the sleeping Aikido. As soon as the sun's light touched his pale features, the Prince's eyelids fluttered, then opened. He groaned as he sat up stiffly, muscles sore from sleeping in one constant position. "Why did you have to wake me, Seiko?" he demanded irritably. "We still have one more hour before father calls us to have breakfast with him at the High Table. And I fell asleep late last night reading a fantastic book by-oh."

"Finally!" Seiko cried out in mocking tones, throwing his hands into the air and then turning to grin widely at his friend and master. "His majesty catches on. We're not at the Yamani palace but at the Copper Isles one." Seiko kept on grinning, and Aikido told him honestly that sometimes he really wished to slap that grin off his face. Seiko just laughed out loud and then went on grinning as he opened every curtain to the sound of Aikido's groans and protests.

Aikido and his attendant were very close. They had grown up together from the day they were born until this very moment. When they were younger their parents – well, for Aikido it was a nurse, as his father could not be interested in such things – were perpetually separating the two as they got into numerous little 'skirmishes' where they pulled out fistfuls of each other's hair or knocked down the towers they were making. Often they had contests that had to be stopped by bothered parents and nurses. A few of these were 'Who Can Yell the Loudest', 'Who Can Get the Worst Punishment', and 'Who Can Successfully Scare Away the Noble Sitting Next to You'. Seiko usually won these. Later, when they were over the age of eight, Seiko was told he was below Aikido and was to be his servant, of sorts. But they never stopped treating each other the same as they did as four year olds. Yes, they no longer had such contests or battles, but they still liked to tease. It was refreshing to talk and tease with Seiko after a long day of putting on your best smile for the Yamani Nobles.

The female Yamani attendant who had come with them was a pretty, petite girl of twenty named Kolba. When Seiko and Aikido were about seven years old, they invented a new game called 'Marriage' in which one of them was the groom and the other the Priest. All they were missing was a bride. Until Kolba was conveniently introduced to them. She was the daughter of Seiko's mother's friend, and from her birth it had been planned that she would be one of Aikido's close attendants. She was put in the playpen with Seiko and Aikido at the same time they discovered they needed a bride. Ah. Perfect. Another poor soul to torture. At first, they all took turns with the different roles except for Kolba, who always had to be the bride. She got fed up with this and punched Aikido on the nose in the end. So she was allowed to be all the roles. But usually she ended up being the bride. Soon enough, Seiko realized he liked it best when she was the bride and he was the groom. So he and Aikido had a little battle. As always, Seiko won, and so he got to be the permanent groom with Kolba as permanent bride. The game ended a while after that. Now, at twenty and twenty three, Kolba and Seiko were married for real. The ceremony had been two years ago, but they still did not have any children, and they still did not leave Aikido.

Finally, Aikido was dressed and ready to go out to see Dove. He had clothed himself in a humble brown Kimono, and he was ready for an intense game of chess.

-----

Dove was seated in the 'living room' of sorts. It was furnished with puffy futons and comfortable chairs, as well as chess tables and small tables to eat off of. It was officially the 'Entertainment Room', though Dove referred to it as the 'Chess Room'. She had once sat in here and played chess with the forty year old astronomer, Duke Qovold Engan, and they had joked about maybe someday being married. She wondered if he was feeling the same uncomfortable feeling she was; that she had made a mistake.

There was a bang and Dove's head snapped toward the door. She stood up, her whole body tense and rigid, as she waited for what was coming. It wasn't assassins. It couldn't be assassins. Aly wouldn't have let them-Dove became even more wary; Aly had gone with Nawat to see if the rumors that there were spidrens in Malubesang were true. She had been lured away. Of course! It was so clear now! Someone had taken this opportunity to kill both herself and Aikido. Or, perhaps, it could even be a Copper Islander who didn't like the thought of a Yamani King and decided to kill him.

Dove looked innocent and like a simple little book reader. But those days spent in exile while she and Sarai were taught fighting skills were not for nothing. Dove, after much nagging on the part of Aly, had finally taken to the habit of having one hidden dagger at hand. Presently she wished she had thirty, but one would have to be enough. The young Queen pulled it out from her waist and grimly put her hand on the doorknob. In the same instant, she heard a small click as the lock was turned. Someone had locked her in just in time. Desperately, Dove threw herself at the door, intending to force it open, but her skimpy weight wasn't nearly enough. She cried out in alarm as she felt a body thump against the door, thinking perhaps it could be Aikido, injured or worse. She renewed her feeble attempts with a new vigor, but it still didn't work.

There was a scream that Dove knew was Aikido's. She was even more desperate now, but still the door didn't budge. Tears were running down her face as she heard more yells, screams and clamor from outside her door. She was helpless. She couldn't do anything to help. She would be safe and cozy at the end of this battle even if everyone else was dead. Then Dove had an idea. She jammed the dagger into the lock and turned and yanked and pulled on it until she was sure it had been destroyed. She kicked at the door with all her strength, even though it hurt her slippered feet immensely. Dove had tears running down her eyes by now, but she didn't care. Desperately she kicked and kicked until she heard and felt the piece of wood placed to keep the door intact should the lock break snap in two. She threw herself backwards as the door swung out and the two bodies that had hit it in falling fell into the room. Dove grimly said a small prayer for the bodies of those she knew to be the enemy and then, lifting her skirts, took off at a run down the corridor, dagger in her little hand.

Dove, not looking down, tripped over a fallen body. She recognized it as a Yamani man around the age of 20+ and prayed to Kyprioth it was not one of Aikido's beloved attendants, comforting herself with the fact that he wore a hood and cloak, which meant he was probably one of the assassins and just happened to be Yamani. Then she took off at a sprint once more, following the retreating voices she heard. There had been a fight outside her door, but they moved on before she had managed to free herself. Suddenly, Dove slipped on something liquid and managed to regain her balance a fraction of a second before her long skirts tripped her up again and she landed, sprawling, in a pool of warm blood. Disgusted, she tore off the long and now ruined outer dress, wearing only – quite inappropriately – a white under-dress of sorts. But it didn't matter. Leaving the fine fabric in the pool of blood, Dove advanced once more.

Finally she arrived at the second scene of the skirmish. There were more bodies here. Hooded and cloaked men she knew to be trained assassins, some of them even Copper Islanders, lay sprawled on the floor in a bloody mess. She found, with her keen eyes, three of her guards lying nearby, life quickly seeping away from them. And then, lastly, Dove's eyes – with the help of her ears, which heard the groan – found the still body of Aikido lying in a corner. It looked as though he had dragged himself into the corner, as there was a thin trail of blood starting from the middle of the room, and it looked as though he had collapsed. Dove gasped, eyes filling with tears again, and rushed over to the fallen comrade.

She found a deep wound on his chest made by a large metal sword lying nearby, and several small scratches on his face made from passing, poisoned arrows. They weren't deep enough to consider having to be treated in case the poison spread, but for one. It was right under his right eye and was quite deep, bleeding heavily. It was turning a frightening green from the poison on the arrow tip that had caused it, and it was this, more than the chest wound, that Dove fretted over. She ripped off a generous amount of her white skirt and wiped off all the poison she could. There was none on the edges or in sight, but there was clearly some that was rapidly sinking through the cut and into the Prince's bloodstream, out of her reach. Finally, Dove sternly told herself to stop crying as she pressed a new strip of cloth over the chest wound and tied it around his whole body so it stayed. Aikido stirred, which gave Dove some hope. "When I find out who locked my door, I will kill them," Dove murmured to herself, absently.

One of the Prince's eyelids cracked open a fraction and he grinned, weakly. "Actually," he rasped, "that would have been me. To keep you safe, you understand. But it looks like someone already dispatched of me quite successfully, so…"

"Stop talking nonsense!" Dove scolded him sharply, as she finished tying the makeshift bandage around his body. "No one 'dispatched of' you. You'll be fine. So stop talking nonsense," she repeated, through her anxiety for her newfound friend and someday-husband. If he made it through this alive, Dove told herself, she would marry him and never say or think a spiteful word about him.


	5. Hesitations Erased

Chapter 5

Dove was by his side through the whole process of treating the Prince and healing his wounds with magic. She didn't leave him even when Aly's Spies came to the Healers' Room to announce that they had discovered who had employed the Assassins. No amount of curiosity could draw her away from Aikido. She would read to him from all her favorite books, play chess matches against him, and just talk about anything and everything. He was so smart, so perfect for her! Dove, if she had ever felt the sensation before, would have recognized she was in love. But all the years watching Sarai's admirers paid off, and eventually she had come to think that that was what love was. This was such a different form that she could not recognize it, through all her wisdom.

Three days later, while Aikido was almost finished healing, Alianne burst into the room, eyes filled with pain. "Dove!" she cried out, dropping to her knees and bowing her head to the Queen. "Aikido!" she sobbed, looking up at him and then away as she saw the still-healing wounds. "I'm terribly sorry, not that that can do any good. I was so stupid, so stupid to let myself be lured into their trap. Spidrens. In the Copper Isles. Psha." Aly let out a frightful little dry giggle, quite unlike her. "I'm so stupid," she suddenly moaned. "And now Aikido's badly hurt and Dove is probably mentally scarred-"

Dove had recovered from the shock and had been looking for a place to interrupt Aly's ramblings when she heard that. She couldn't help herself and let out a little giggle. Aly, surprised, looked up at her Queen, eyes still full of her pain. "Mentally scarred!" she repeated, starting to laugh again. Soon, Aikido joined her from the bed, and then Aly. Dove finished laughing before the other two and wiped the corners of her eyes with the hem of her dress. Suddenly serious again, she gripped Aly's hands in hers and looked her directly in the face. "I. Am. Fine. And so is Aikido. So stop doing this to yourself." Leaning in to whisper to her friend, she admitted, "I think that was a necessary episode; you see, I am beginning to think we have a real love-thing going on here…"

-----

After Aly came Seiko and Kolba. They stormed in the door of the Healer's office, Seiko's arm in a sling, to wail and moan that it was their fault for not being there. This time, it was Aikido's turn to comfort them, and he was even better at it than Dove. By the time his attendants left, both were wiping laugh-tears from their eyes again. Dove smiled warmly at the man who was to be her husband, and he could feel his heart thudding painfully against his rib cage. From the romantic descriptions of his love for Kolba he had heard from Seiko, Aikido suspected he loved the Queen.

"Isn't it funny," Dove commented, the fourth day. "that the one day we had to change our minds passed by without us ever lending one measly thought to changing our minds about the marriage?" She said it nonchalantly, tucking a beaded bookmark into her book and fiddling with the decorations on it as she did. But really, she was trying to determine his real feelings for her. She looked up at the bedded man under her lashes, trying to glimpse his face. There was surprise, shock, and hurt present.

Aikido supported himself on one elbow and looked down at her intently. "Why do you think of that now? Do you wish you had taken the opportunity?" It had gone from her testing him to him testing her. Dove blushed at how realistic his words were, and how stupid she had been to mention that. Just when they were becoming very comfortable with each other! Now he thought she didn't love him.

"No," she told him honestly, snapping the book shut. Dust particles floated around them as she placed the older book on the floor under her chair. "I was just musing. I know it was wrong of me to bring that up." She folded her arms in her lap as she gazed at him fully to see how he would react. He looked relieved. He told her that was good, because he didn't regret it either. He admitted he wouldn't have taken the chance even if that little…accident hadn't wiped such a trifle thing from both their occupied minds that day.

-----

The fifth day, Aikido was well enough to stand and take small 'Practice Walks', as the Healer referred to them. He was on just one such of these down the hallway when Aly came rushing up to them. Dove was beside him, clinging to one of his arms so he didn't fall. He toppled at the brusque surprise of Aly running straight at them, and Dove helped him up, laughing. Aly stopped to apologize, then resumed the excitement that dominated her pretty features. "Did anyone tell you we found out who sent those Assassins?" she asked them. Dove and Aikido both nodded.

"We weren't curious enough at the time to investigate and sift fact from gossip," Dove admitted sheepishly. Aikido agreed with her.

"Well, your Majesties, would you like to hear who it was now?" Aly asked them, amused. Dove and Aikido both nodded vigorously.

Aly grinned at them. "Do tell!" Dove pleaded. Aly winked at her.

"His name is Your Highness, Emperor of the Yamani Islands," Aly informed them. Dove's jaw dropped, but Aikido didn't look surprised.

"Aren't you concerned your father wanted you killed?" Dove asked him, shocked more at his reaction than at the actual news.

He looked at her and sighed. Aikido rubbed his face wearily with a palm and then turned to face her and Aly. "I knew he would try to pull something like this. You see…I've always been his least favorite son, and he could and would have had me executed or banished except for that fact that, when I was two, a marriage offer was made between myself and Imajane. When she married, my father was stung, but refused to look it. Pride is such a foolish thing sometimes. Secretly, through Imajane and without her knowing, I was engaged to Saraiyu Balitang at ten years of age. When she ran off with Zaimid, my father was stung once more. He decided it was time to get rid of me, like some piece of worthless meat, but he was too busy at the time. There was always next time. And then Dove's offer came, and he couldn't refuse. All his other sons were married off. But he probably had a plan hatched inside his head that, after we had married, he would send secret assassins that were masters at their work to kill myself. He would get a great deal of money for my death. Which was more important to him than having a King as a son."

Dove and Alianne looked absolutely appalled, but Aikido only looked grim. Dove had tears leaking slowly from her eyes as she gazed at him with horror. "Your father tried to kill you using assassins so he could gain some money?" she clarified with dread. Aikido nodded solemnly to confirm this. "But then why did they come now, when we weren't married yet?"

"Mistake. They probably misunderstood his orders."

"We have to do something. Won't he try again…?"

Aikido shook his head to disagree. "He knows I know. He is not aware that you and Alianne Crow do as well, but it makes little difference. He won't make an attempt on my life again under threat that I reveal who sent the assassins, and he will learn to live with the fact that his youngest, hated son is the best off out of all of them."

Aly gave Aikido one last pitying look and walked away muttering under her breath about 'messing with his mind' and 'old geyser's. After she left them alone in the corridor, Dove regarded Aikido painfully. "It must have been hard," she remarked, wiping away tears of rage and pity. "I wish I could somehow…replace all that pain."

Aikido looked at her with renewed fondness. "I believe it," he told her. Then, slowly, questioningly, he leaned down to kiss her lightly on the lips. Dove let him.


	6. Past is Past

Chapter 6

The wedding was next week. Dove and Aikido both were shooting each other lovers' glances throughout that whole week, and Aly, as well as everyone else, could clearly see it. Somehow, in the short space of less than a month, they had fallen in love. Aly had to smile sheepishly at how long it had taken her to accept Nawat, while he was ever-patient. Sometimes, Aly would hear malicious rumors about how Aikido had bedded his female attendant Kolba that night, and always stopped them short of reaching the now surprisingly tender Dove. The first time she had made the mistake of repeating one such rumor to Dovasry, intending it as a joke. "Did you know, Dove, that people whisper to each other how Aikido snuck a Yamani maid into his ship as a stowaway and takes her to bed each night with him?" she had teased, once. Dove had gone pale and stared at Aly as though she was a ghost.

"R-really?" she stuttered, her pretty dark eyes wide with disbelief. "But I…he wouldn't do that…would he?" Ay had to laugh at Dove's honest concern. She explained it was a _rumor _intended for the sole purpose of extracting just such a reaction from her. Dove had blushed and looked down at her slippered feet. "You know how love makes people, don't you? But then again, you probably don't, as your love is so different from mine."

"Do you mean that my love is different than the one you _and Aikido _share?" Aly prodded, gently. Dove shook her head impatiently, as if at an ignorant school-girl.

"No, I fully intended to say that _my love _is different from yours. How can you just immediately suppose that Aikido loves me back?"

That had surprised a shocked chuckle from Aly. "Well, for one, because he looks drunk all the time now," she began, grinning. Dove began to protest when Aly cut her short. "And two, I know that he kissed you that time I told you his father sent the assassins." When Dove bushed furiously again and looked down, Aly raised an eyebrow. "You didn't really think I had actually left, did you?" she inquired, grinning evilly. Dove looked at her with mock spite in her features. Aly laughed, and then began again more seriously. "The third reason is that if he had wanted to cancel your wedding, he could have," she pointed out reasonably.

"That's only because he's dutiful," Dove retorted.

Aly shrugged. "Think what you like. However, to me and the rest of the world, it's quite clear you're _both _in love, and not with maids. Please take my word for it."

When Aly left, Dove didn't look very convinced. She had never acted this way before, but then again, she had never been in love before. Aly recognized the over eagerness and how paranoid Dove was as 'symptoms' of her new love. And even if Dove did not see it, or pretended not to, Aly knew that Aikido loved her just as dearly.

She had seen them, several times when they thought they were alone. Aikido, fully healed now, would come up behind the Queen and embrace her warmly, kissing her lightly and then firmly. She watched, amused, as Dove's body grew rigid and then slowly relaxed, limp in his hold. But mostly they played chess, read, or discussed things together, and even then you could see they were in love by the tender way they regarded one another, and the secret little glances they shot at each other. It was clear as Mithros was real.

And then the day of the wedding was upon them. Dove chose her most beautiful gown, white, and didn't complain at all that it was too stiff, stuffy, or elaborate. She let maids do her hair without a fight, and had a dreamy, far-away look in her eyes. Though all her relatives were there, include Sarai, none of Aikido's were. His father the emperor had sent a representative, as had all his brothers. His mother, it was said, wanted to attend, but the emperor had forbid her. He sent a pardon to Dove on the account of the assassins, claiming he had nothing to do with them and hadn't the skills to stop them before they reached the palace to do their job. He said he was 'looking for their employer right now,' which made Aikido, Dove, and Aly snort.

Dove walked up the alley with Aly at her side confidently, her strides large. Aikido awaited her on the raised dais beside a priestess of Kyprioth, with Seiko at his side. They met, and were joined forever with the words of the priestess. It all happened so fast, it was hard to believe. Aikido led Dove out of the room after everyone had damply embraced her, and together they made the long trek to their room, the one they were to share.

-----

The next morning, Aly forced herself to walk slowly downstairs to the room where she and Dove usually ate. She let out a whoop when she saw the chairs were all empty; it meant that Dove was spending time with her new husband, which was what she was supposed to do. Husband. Dove. The two words sounded so strange together! Aly mused as she set her things on the table. She was halfway through a slice of bread when Nawat appeared and seated himself near her. Surprised, as he never ate here but outside, she inquired as to the reason he was there. He only kissed her in response and whispered, "All this business about Dove and Aikido made me remember our own marriage. When was the last time we kissed, anyway?" He asked, nonchalantly. It was Aly's turn to grin.

"Um, the last time you saw me," she told him. Nawat laughed.

"That's the way it's supposed to be," he told her simply. Getting a piece of bread for himself and a second for Aly, they ate together. When they were done they both got up, stretched, and took a casual little walk down the hallway. They passed Dove and Aikido's bedroom door 'coincidentally' as they walked toward the door together. Discreet, they stopped to listen and see if they could hear any clues as to what Dove and her husband were doing. But it was clear they were not there. Disappointed, in want of romance, Aly trudged outside to see if her friend was there.

There was a chess table set up outside, with all the little pieces on the board. Many were on the side, as captured figures, and Aikido's King lay on his side in defeat. But Dove and Aikido were not there. This time without Nawat, for he had gone to another part of the courtyard to fletch arrows, Aly slowly looked around in the bushes. They weren't there. And then, finally, she found them.

The two were leaning against a wall, chatting amiably. Dove was looking everywhere but at her husband as she explained something, while Aikido gazed down at her with completely love-struck eyes. And then all of a sudden Dove glanced up at him, perhaps to see his reaction to her words. Their lips brushed, and he was kissing her. Smiling, Aly let go of the branch she had been holding away from her eyes to get a view, and walked back to the palace.

-----

Dove walked into the library, closing the door behind her firmly, twisting a key in the lock to keep it closed, and collapsed into a chair. She had a sort of drunken smile playing about her pretty lips, and her eyes were hazed over with pleasure. She gazed into the shadows for a while, recalling memories of the previous night, and then jumped when she heard a voice from the shadows and watched a red-haired girl emerge.

"Still think he doesn't love you?"

Dove grinned widely. "Yes. And I will worry about it for the rest of my life; if he's bedded another woman last night. Alas, such is the sorry way with married couples, and even unmarried lovers."

"No longer a virgin?"

Dove smiled shyly, a blush spreading rapidly. "No," the Queen squeaked, She and her best friend exchanged 'looks'. Aly was about to say something comforting when the doorknob began to rattle and Dove jumped with surprise for the second time. Sighing, Dovasry trudged over to the door and twisted the key in the lock. The door sprung open to reveal a taller man, who immediately enfolded her in an embrace.

"Thought I'd find you here," he told her, smiling down at his wife. Dove returned the smile and let herself be enfolded in his strong arms again. Faintly, she heard him murmur, "None of that matters any more. My father, my brothers, my Yamani family, they're all history. I'm free of them and the tyranny of the emperor, and I need not ever worry about it again. I will have a family of my own some day, which is more than I could ever hope for as a young boy. Past is past."

When, finally, Aikido let Dove go and walked back to their room to wait for her, she turned around, bushing crimson because she had forgotten who else had witnessed that scene, and began, "Aly, I'm-" But Alianne wasn't there. She had silently slipped out when the newlyweds embraced to leave them some privacy. Smiling lightly, Dove ran after her husband.

**A/N: If you would like an Epilogue chapter, just mention that in the review. Otherwise this is the last one! **


	7. Epilogue: Beginnings of a Bright Future

Epilogue

"No!" the concerned voice of a young mother rang out across the field as the twenty-two-year old sprinted toward a little girl of two pulling up flowers and hurling them into a flowing brook. The older girl's dark hair whipped out behind her in the wind as her slippered feet carried her forward at an alarming speed for one who looked so hollow-boned, fragile, petite, and skinny. Her dark eyes flashed alarmingly as she reached her target and swooped down to pick up the little girl, who had nearly avoided death by drowning in the brook. The twenty-two-year old cradled the toddler in her arms for a few moments while the baby buried her head in her mother's breasts, then held the girl out as if for inspection and began to scold. "This happened last week, for Kyprioth's sake, Saru! How many times do I have to tell you not to lean over the edge of things so far? One day you'll fall and-" the toddler's mother stopped herself, closed her eyes tight, and inhaled deeply to steady her shaking body. "Stop scaring me like that, Saru! Gods above, someone might think you were fated to-" again the young mother stopped before uttering such unthinkable horrors.

Slowly, the dark woman put her child down beside her and, taking her little girl's hand, walked her back to the palace where they lived. Soon, the little toddler began to stumble, and so the woman picked her up in her steady arms and transported her that way. Sighing, she turned her face to look at her baby while she walked and spoke to her. "Someday you're going to be a Queen, you know. Of course, there's no guarantee; everyone thought Sarai would be Queen, being older and all, and here I am. Yet you will probably be Queen, and Queens don't drown in brooks. Please, lovely, try to be more careful. If anything ever happened to you I…" Dovasry Balitang let the end of her sentence drift. Her daughter, Sarugani, blinked at her mother with long lashes but made no comment apart from wriggling to settle better in her mother's arms.

Finally, they were at the palace. Dove led her daughter into the playroom, where George was to be found arranging wooden knights on the playroom floor. Dove plopped young Sarugani down next to George and herself into a plush chair to watch them. Sarugani quietly took a few soldiers and, equally silent, George let her join in his little games. Dove smiled when she saw how well they got along and stretched, then left the room. Entering the hallway, she tramped heavily and wearily down the stairs and into the courtyard. There sat Aly in the dust, cheering and watching her young five-year old daughter Errana race the stable boys. Errana grinned widely as she saw Dove and waved. This made her falter and trip, face-down in the dust. The Queen gasped and covered her mouth with her hand but the ever determined Rana picked herself up and still managed to beat all the boys.

Alianne sighed, stretching like Dove had, getting up and wiping off her rear. She grinned at her Queen and mock-bowed. "Your highness," she addressed Dove as she straightened, just because she knew it irked her friend. Then she sighed, mockingly. "Little Rana is not like me when I was younger at all. She doesn't flirt with the stable boys, she races them." Aly grinned ever-wider and patted Dove on the back as she trotted back into the palace to see if she could find her Nawat. Dove smiled after her then followed close behind. Soon enough, she came upon Aly's oldest daughter Junai talking with Chenaol in the kitchen. They were discussing the best kinds of daggers. Dove stood in the doorway smiling in on the funny scene of six year old and cook talking on the same level. Chenaol looked up, saw Dove, grinned and waved. Dove winked at her then ambled along down the hallway.

She met with her older sister Sarai, who had come for a little visit, shortly afterward. Sarai smiled at her, waved, and inquired as to her health. Dove rolled her eyes at her sister as Sarai laughed and clapped her jovially on the back. "Sarugani?" she asked, meaning 'how is Sarugani?'. Dove shrugged and recounted her daughter's adventure of the day in which she had nearly drowned. Suddenly, Sarai's eyes bulged. The beautiful girl pursed her lips in a tiny smile as she surveyed her sister up and down, her eyes crinkling with laughter. Dove snapped a rude 'what is it?' irked at her sister's reaction to whatever she had noticed. "You're pregnant." It wasn't a question. Dove blushed and looked down sheepishly. "When?" Sarai asked, not caring how embarrassing this question may be for Dove.

"Last week, on Thursday," Dove's voice cracked as she whispered it. "Is it that visible?"

Sarai shook her head, mouth a straight line but eyes still crinkling with laughter. "I'm just observant, being your sister and all. Kind of like how I am probably the only one who can tell you haven't washed your hair for four days, or that you apply lip rouge, or that the crown you're wearing right now is a fake, a replica made specially lighter-" She was silenced by glares from Dove. Then she went on. "Bet you a copper noble Aly knows already. She's just not as rude as me and didn't ask." Dove silently agreed. She nodded a 'see you later' to her sister and went along on her way.

Shortly, Dove stumbled upon a taller, majestic man clothed in a Sarong as opposed to the Kimono his people traditionally wore. Aikido had become accustomed to his new home and almost never wore the Kimonos he had anymore, albeit for very posh dinners. His face was Yamani-smooth, impassive, but when he saw Dove, he enfolded her in his strong arms and it was clear he loved her very much. "How is _our _daughter?" he inquired after letting his wife go. Still, after close to three years, Aikido delighted in pronouncing those words. Dove knew this. She smiled warmly at her husband and leaned against him as she recounted the little misadventure Sarugani had had that morning.

"She's playing with George now, but I doubt for long; I'll bet you she's found her way to Junai by now. She's attracted to her like a magnet," Dove finished. Aikido nodded absently as a reaction to her words, but his main focus was on gingerly smoothing Dove's dress over her stomach. She looked down to see what he was doing, then looked up at him and smiled. "Is there a bulge yet?" she teased, gently pulling his hands away. He flushed a bit, then smiled back at her widely.

"You're still as skinny as ever, Dove," he told her honestly, embracing her again. "Oh, by the way, before I get carried away," (they both grinned at each other knowingly) "I should tell you that my _father _died from an apoplexy yesterday. My eldest brother was away battling pirates and raiders, and so the second eldest claimed he should be emperor while awaiting my eldest brother's – Momitchi's – return. But my third eldest brother and so on and so forth disagreed, and so there was a big brawl and the only survivor was my eighteen-year old sister Hana, only because she didn't take part. It turns out Momitchi died in the battle, and since Hana is the only of the emperor's children left, she's the empress. She was originally engaged to some man a hundred times older than herself with a rich fortune, but as empress she has the power to cancel that, and she did. She's in love with a man of twenty by the name of Kureno – a good man by my standards – and they are engaged to marry as soon as possible. This is jolly news, you realize. Kureno and Hana will make fine, if young, rulers."

Dove nodded her agreement. "I'm glad," she told him, slight puzzlement in her voice. "Though I shouldn't be glad for death…"

Aikido laughed dryly. "If you knew the dead, you would feel the same happiness I do in knowing they have passed on and are no longer able to torture the helpless. And besides…" Aikido hesitated, then decided to reveal the burden he had carried by himself for so long to his wife. "They are only my half brothers," he whispered to her. Dove's eyes widened, and Aikido explained everything he had heard that day long ago. Dove nodded gravely when he was finished.

"You're still slightly sorry for their loss though, right?" she prodded. Aikido nodded, amused. Dove smiled at him again. "I would like to meet this Hana someday if it's possible," Dove revealed. Aikido nodded.

"I think you would like each other," he told her honestly. Dove opened her eyes wider and raised her eyebrows as if to ask, 'and why is that?'. Aikido chuckled. "Well, everyone who meets you likes you, my jewel," he whispered, leaning in to kiss her. They stayed in each other's arms for as long as possible before letting go.

"Well, time to go find _our _daughter," Dove remarked, happily. Hand in hand the King and Queen of the Copper Isles went to put their daughter to bed. From the shadows, a copper-haired girl grinned, proud of her Queen.

**A/N: Thank you so much to all my reviewers! There's still time to become one of those. ;) If you liked this story, I would suggest reading **_**A Serious Case of Nerves, **_**my interpretation of Alianne and Nawat's wedding, which comes before this by the way. And if you would like to read more about Junai, Errana, George, Sarugani, and the unborn-baby mentioned here, try **_**Next Generation**_**, which recounts the adventures of Aly's children. Again, my sincere thanks to all reviewers! You are welcome to become one. **

**Alianne of Rajmuat**


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